Mission Hospital was founded in Mission Viejo in 1971 and has continued to develop new programs and services to meet the ever changing needs of the community. In 1993, Mission Hospital partnered with CHOC Children’s to provide pediatric services and a year later, became a member of the St. Joseph Health network of care. In 2009, Mission Hospital expanded its geographic footprint to include south Orange County’s coast line by acquiring Mission Hospital Laguna Beach.

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Mission Hospital has an award-winning staff that is leading the way in medical ingenuity. Our accomplishments have led to such awards as the Outstanding Achievement Award for the Commission on Cancer in 2008 – causing us to be one of 66 hospitals in the entire nation to be honored. Combining care for the mind, body and spirit, we take a unique approach to every individual patient.

The Mission Hospital Foundation embodies the Spirit of Giving by building lifelong relationships with community members and raising funds to support Mission Hospital.
Mission Hospital Foundation will be the critical force in supporting Mission Hospital's vision to serve the community with the most advanced diagnostic care in the world.

My Mission For Health

Blog

Mental Health: Removing the Barrier of Stigma

02-26-2018Contributor: Debbie Hutchinson, Psy.D., MFT

One of the hurdles that people living with mental illness continue to face
is stigma. A person with a
mental health condition is all too frequently isolated by negative attitudes, disparaging comments,
or even violence, in a way that a person with a physical ailment would never be.

These members of our community are confronted with a range of misconceptions
and false beliefs. Among them:

“People with mental illness can’t handle stress.” To
the contrary, with access to proper care and support, they can make contributions
that are as invaluable, and maintain relationships that are as strong,
as those of anyone else.

“Mental illness induces dangerous behavior.” In fact, a person
with mental illness is four times more likely to be on the receiving end
of violence than the general public.

“They can just snap out of it.” Healing a person of depression,
addiction, or an eating disorder is the result of a process, not a spontaneous decision.

One of the consequences of stigma is that people with mental health issues
are likely to encounter discrimination in the workplace and the community.
They may miss out on job opportunities, social activities, or even housing.
A concern equally as serious, if not more so, is that stigmatization frequently
keeps those people from seeking care. In an effort to avoid being shamed,
or because of self-doubt brought on by shaming, people with mental illness
may hide their reality from family or avoid disclosing their condition
to their doctor. Drug abuse, anorexia, bulimia, anxiety, depression—the
signs of these and other mental illnesses can often be concealed until
a life-threatening incident occurs.

Overcoming the stigma of mental illness needs to be a nationwide health priority.

Around 20 percent of Americans experience a mental illness, and the prevalence
of mental disorders in our society holds true in Orange County as well.
Nearly 10 percent of county adults experience frequent mental distress,
and 13 percent of the Medicare population lives with depression. The county
has also experienced an upward trend in the rate at which children under
18 years are hospitalized for a mental health issue.

We need to help our communities learn to think—and talk—about
mental illness as a medical problem, not as a personal shortcoming. Substance
abuse, severe anxiety, depression, and eating disorders are illnesses
as physically real, and as in need of medical treatment, as broken bones,
heart attacks, strokes, and cancer.

We also need to make sure our health systems are designed to integrate
mental health care into health care as a whole, and to free mental health
patients from any shame about their conditions that they or their family
may have internalized. Parents will contact a doctor or a hospital with
questions about care for their child who is struggling with chemical dependency,
for example, but even then they sometimes hesitate to ask, because of
fear of judgment. Those parents – or anyone struggling with mental
health – need our encouragement to break through the barrier of
stigma and make the call. They need to know that help is available without
criticism or blame.

There is much outreach to be done to overcome mental health stigma, but
the inclusive, comprehensive model of care we’ve implemented at
Mission Hospital, Laguna Beach is making real gains in eliminating stigma
in the communities we serve. A crucial feature of that model is family
involvement. In the past, care providers used to talk about treating the
“identified patient.” Those days are gone, and we offer help
for the whole family, giving spouses and parents of mental health patients
the tools they need, teaching empathy and showing them how to be a support
system for their loved one. In turn, they go back and share their experience
with friends, dispelling shame and secrecy, and helping their loved ones
achieve confidence and peace of mind.

We’re further encouraged by the community wins from our ongoing collaboration
in California’s mental health movement, Each Mind Matters. You may
have seen our lime green benches at local events, schools, and shopping
areas. They provide a safe space for open and honest conversations about
mental health and how early support for mental illness saves lives. Thousands
of our neighbors in south Orange County have shared stories and made promises
to talk about how mental health is an integral part of our well-being.
With every one of those conversations, the stigma of mental illness is
reduced a little bit more.

Our health is composed of mind, body, and spirit. The more we can raise
awareness of that unity, the better able we will be to fully meet the
health care needs of our communities.